Benman
July 6th, 2005, 23:38
Warning: This is extremely LONG, so for some of you who just want to look at pics, I suggest scrolling down to the bottom :D. I’ll post all of my pictures at the bottom in daily order. With that said, lets start things off!
Well, Friday and Saturday were spent flying. Waking up at 5:00am and after getting ready and kissing the misses goodbye, it was off to the Ontario Airport and plane took off at @ 8:00. Of course, I got the great pleasure of sitting next to a woman who was coughing up her lungs on the first stint. Of course when she was offered a cough drop, she insisted she was fine and proceeded to cough and gag for the remainder of the flight.
Atlanta to Frankfurt went much better and I had some peace and quiet this time with LOTS of time to read. Arrived a little after 8:00am Saturday morning local Germany time and after retrieving my luggage and hailing a taxi it was time to go get the rental car.
I had arranged for an Audi rental (due to fact I would be visiting quattro GmbH and didn’t want to show up in a BMW :D) but it was a little late getting there. After picking up the car and getting lost (ahem… from this point on, we’ll call it “detour”) I headed off to the Nordschleife.
By the time I arrived at the Hotel Tiergarten it was already after lunch and I had been awake since 2:00pm Friday German time. Considering I’d been awake for nearly 24 hours I debated crashing on the bed to get some sleep or heading to the Ring for some laps. Easy choice. I went to the Ring :D. Headed down to the Nordschleife entrance to find it was PACKED! Seemed there was an Old Fogy convention of some sorts and all kinds of sweet antique cars were there. Of course I had to take some picks but my camera was still packed away and since the “old dudes” would still be there on Sunday (two day show) I decided to just get my ticket and start the laps.
First lap felt fantastic. “Two years”, I thought to myself. “Two years since I’ve been here, two years since I’ve enjoyed this pleasure”. I couldn’t stop the smile that formed on my face and stayed there like a stupid school boy who just walked into the candy store with his lunch money. Another lap, and another. By the fifth lap, the fatigue started to set in and it was getting close to close to 3:00 and I had yet to get any lunch. Discretion won the better part of valor and I decide for everyone’s safety, I’d get something to eat and some rest. The restaurant wasn’t open yet (Pistenklause), so I took a stroll around the area and had myself a REAL German beer :thumb:.
4:00pm came and went, and after some dinner and more beer I headed up the stairs to my room and crashed.
Sunday: Woke up about 7:30 because the Ring opened at 8:00 and I wanted a full day of Nordschleife action. Downstairs, breakfast was great and it was a short drive down the road to the Northern loop entrance. Wait a minute. The “Old Timers” were the only ones allowed on the track until 10:00am. Oh well. Got out the camera and started taking pictures as there was plenty of photo opportunities. The two hours (actually almost three because of a wreck) went by SLOW :D.
Finally got back out and was wanting to do at least 10-15 laps today (doesn’t sound like much but considering there are NO flying laps and you have to wait in line each lap to put in your ticket AND I was in a base model 2.0T A4 AUTOMATIC ((yes, the rental company knew I was American so they assumed I couldn’t drive a manual :D)) it took about 12 minutes per lap). I kept thinking how realistic the GT4 game was. It is NO substitute for the real deal, but it DOES really do an excellent job of teaching you the turns. The track was a WHOLE lot more familiar to me this time, and was certainly a great deal more enjoyable. Of course I had to stop a few times due to someone always seeming to want to crash (some bikes, some cars,) and after the third time (as it takes an hour each time) I decided to take a break and head down to Luxemburg (why not? :D). After some great country driving it was time to see if the Ring was back opened. A few more laps and then it was closing time. Back to Pistenklause for some food and beer and then back to bed for a busy next day.
Monday: Headed down to Baden-Baden for some “ice wine” and Riesling. Baden-Baden is some beautiful country and I suggest anyone going to Germany set aside some time to go check it out. The wineries are great and some of the hotels and homes in the countryside are gorgeous. After taking another one of my “detours” (this one was a really long one :D) I got back on the road to the Nordschleife. Of course, my detour didn’t leave me a whole lot of time for the Ring, as I’d be cutting it close to make it back before it closed at all. As luck would have it the traffic was great and I arrived just in time to bang out a few more laps before the track closed. Same routine of food at the Pistenklause and beer (are you starting to see a pattern here? ;) ) and off to bed.
Tuesday: Now this is the day most of the rs6.com members are interested in. This was the day I had set aside to travel down to Quattro GmbH in Neckarsulm. Ironically, it is also the ONLY day I don’t have picks to show for. I know, I know, you’re thinking, “Ben, you stupid @#$%, how could you NOT take pics of THAT day for us!?!”. Let me explain. NO cameras allowed inside the compound. And the car we took outside the factory (RS 4) was covered in white delivery tape (don’t worry, it wasn’t a customer’s car ;) ).
I arrived at quattro at 10:00am as suggested by my contact. Once inside and after the pleasantries I was immediately showed the new RS 4. Now I have to say, in person, I think it looks even better than the show pics. Of course under certain lighting that is used for the auto shows, the RS 4 looks great, but seeing it outside in the sun and in “natural” settings, the car looks just flat fantastic. The wheel arches are the most obvious visual enticements but the bumpers and side skirts really are a very close second. Sliding down into those SWEET racing buckets I could feel that childish grin forming on my face. Gripping the aluminum bottomed steering wheel only made the grin worse. The Audi rep spotted my grin with ease. “So you like?”
“Oh yes!”
“Yes, well the wheel will not be making it to the States, along with the seats”.
“Yeah, so I’ve heard. At least we get the rest right?”
“Actually Ben, you will not be getting the push button starter as well.”
“What?!?”
“Yes, sorry. Also, the mirrors are not confirmed for your market either.”
“Well that sucks!”
“Yes, well you could always move here to Germany and get the REAL stuff!” :D
I knew we were not getting the seats and figured the wheel was too cool for us US folk as well, but the starter button and mirrors were a big let down. Well, on second thought, after further inspection, the mirrors turned out to be painted plastic, so maybe it’s better we get the standard METAL S4 mirrors. Seems that despite the fact that Nord (Robin) can piss some people off, he’s DEAD on when he says this car IS dumbed down for the USA. Here is the list of have nots for the US:
NO Recaro race buckets (which feel OH MY GOODNESS, OH SO GOOD!!!!),
NO flat bottom steering wheel with intergrated lap counter (but we will have a counter in the normal steering wheel stalk with all the other trip functions and such),
NO starter button (yes, just a gimmick, but one I WANT!),
NO front parking sensors (just like the US RS 6),
NO RS 4 specific mirrors (under debate at the moment),
NO Euro lights (yep, we get the lame amber crap for our “safety”),
And it appears we’ll get that same battery in the trunk ala RS 6 (unless AOA can prove we here in the States are competent enough to use the Euro inflate-a-flat :D).
And the US price posted by Iceman seems to be SPOT ON.
Well, with all the bad news out of the way, it’s time for the good news, cause there is plenty. It was arranged for me to have a ride along with one of quattro’s test drivers (they have six). We took the car onto their test track inside the factory for several laps. Right away, I could instantly tell this car was way more at ease on a tight course than my Beast. “Wow, this thing can handle!” We did several laps and some skid pad as well and the more we drove the more I was impressed with how well quattro had done their homework. The cars grip around turns is unbelievable (for a street car) and the transitional weight transfer seemed to be a solid league above the RS 6. Then it was time to venture out onto the Autobahn and country roads for real world evaluation. On real roads (some butter smooth and some… not so smooth) the car was everything the RS 6 is, only better. The ride quality is firm but not harsh (I’d put it equal to the RS 6), and high speed stability is right there with the RS 6 (which I think is very stable at 255kph+).
We had MANY opportunities to test the revised brakes. I say revised because I was told that although the calipers are carryovers from the RS 6, the rotors are all new. We had to “throw the anchors out the window” on no fewer than 10 occasions as people seemed to not care we were traveling at over 240kph as they would pull into the fast lane at 110! (I mentioned to my test driver, maybe they were from Southern California! :D). In all the instances, not ONCE did I get the slightest sensation the brakes were struggling. I was very impressed with the revisions they had made to the brakes as I’m plenty happy with mine as they are.
The engine sound is fantastic. At low speeds, the car is very similar sounding to the RS 6. But rev it up and it has a lot of 360 Modena mixed in. Just superb. We got to go through a tunnel with the windows rolled down as the car was floored. It sounds oh so sweet, as the needle approaches the 8,000 rpm mark. I liked the noise even better than the RS 6. All in all I was able to spend an entire 2 HOURS riding around in the new RS 4, incredible that I was able to spend so much time with the new car. The test pilot who has also done extensive driving in a CSL (and honestly LOVES the CSL) commented that the RS 4 is only very slightly slower in the corners than the CSL and with the additional HP is faster around the track. When asked how fast can it do the Ring, a sly smirk was all I got and the reply, “I think you’ll be impressed with the released numbers”. Sounds promising but if my drive was any indication (which I feel it was), then I think all the HYPE Tailpipe has been giving us is actually quite justified!
Once back, I was offered a ride in a Gallardo around their test course for comparisons to the RS 4. Duh! Didn’t have to ask me twice! Now I won’t exaggerate and say the RS 4 is some kind of equal to the Gallardo, because it isn’t. But it was incredible how close the RS 4 came to maintaining similar speeds through the same turns (within a few kph). The Gallardo’s engine sound is head and shoulders above the RS 4’s though. It is one of those sounds that make the small hairs on the back of your neck stand up! I’ve heard Gallardos driving by, but they sound SO much better from the inside as you’re doing track work! :D That said, the view out of the car is horrible and it wouldn’t make a good daily driver (Robin can feel free to correct me on this one), but I must say Robin was right when he said it is the best car Audi makes. Well, technically, the best car QUATTRO makes as they helped with the finishing touches on 500 of them for Lambo (seemed Lambo had trouble meeting demands so they had quattro GmbH finish 500 for them).
Another really cool thing I learned was that quattro GmbH built the prototype Le Mans for Audi (no, not the show car that Audi built, but the RUNNING prototype that is undergoing road testing as we speak. quattro is really proud of that fact, especially considering they are so small in comparison to parent Audi. The production Le Mans will be a bigger car (longer wheel base) than the Gallardo but will retain the two seater layout.
We talked about how much they have grown in a short time. Back in 1999, there was only a total of 50 employees. Now there are about 300 and it is expected by the time the Le Mans is launched late next year, they will have 200 MORE employees.
Then I was able to have a guided tour of the Neckarsulm plant after a late lunch in the “Nuvolari” restaurant. It is just amazing what all goes into the production of an automobile. And again, of course, no cameras allowed :(.
All said and done I didn’t leave Neckarsulm until after 5:00pm. I was so appreciative that the people at quattro GmbH were able to spend so much time with me. I came away though with mixed emotions. If I was living in Europe and was going to get the RS 4 the way those in Europe will get it, it would be very tempting to trade in the RS 6 for it. But, considering all the things we in the US will NOT get, I don’t know. If I didn’t already have such a nice car I’d really have to think about it. There are a lot of those who are comparing the RS 4 to “just” a modded S4. Let me assure you. The S4 is to the RS 4, what the S6 was to the RS 6. It is NO comparison. It is the real deal. But then again, my wife can’t drive a stick and I’m VERY apprehensive about teaching her on a 400+HP Beast! And financially, keeping the RS 6 as well as springing for an RS 4 is not something I can quite afford. So at this moment I stand at holding off. For those who wonder if the car is worth the additional cost over the S4: IT IS! It is fantastic, and after all the hype I’ve been hearing from Tailpipe, I really thought I’d be let down. But I wasn’t, not even close. It is a phenomenal car, worthy of the RS badge in every way and IMHO, the BEST RS model to DATE! (side note: Avant has still not been denied OR confirmed for the US and BTW, the grey RS 4 at the auto show everyone was talking about WAS indeed Daytona Grey. It was NOT a custom color).
What a day, back to the Ring for another long day of driving tomorrow.
Wednesday: Got up extra early this morning (4:30am) to head out to Praha in the Czech Republic to meet George (gjg) from rs6.com. It’s almost 800km from the Nordschleife to Praha and I wanted to make it there before lunch time, so early it was. Traffic was fantastic except for the last little stint right before the Czech border (MAJOR construction delays), but still managed to make it there before 11:30am. Met George and his very nice RS 6 Plus and then followed him to his place of business to drop off my rental and go out for some authentic Czech food and beer. His Sales and Customer manager Luba came along as she would be helping me with my guided tour of Praha (so I could do some crystal shopping for the wife). Great food and beer and enjoyed my time with George very much.
Also found out that Anheuser Busch STOLE the name Budweiser from a Czech brewing company!!! Seems the company from Czech never bothered to patent the name and trademark in other countries so to this day Budweiser (the American stuff) is sold all over the world EXCEPT in Czech where the REAL Budweiser is copyrighted and sold! Can’t believe those @#$%. And then Anheuser Busch has the NERVE to be “proud” of the fact that they are the only “American” beer company in this country. Hmm… they should have commercials showing how they “cleverly” screwed the Czech Beer company over.
Anyway, back to the fun stuff, drove around with George (who drives just like me! :D), and he was nice enough to take the time to make sure I had a hotel to stay the night at (because I had another long drive tomorrow), before heading down to old Praha. Unfortunately, business comes first so George was not able to enjoy down town Praha with Luba and myself but I was appreciative of the time he was able to set aside out of his busy day to spend with me (also, sorry for forgetting my keys in your car! :D). Luba (a lovely lady BTW) and I spent the rest of the afternoon walking the streets of ancient Praha and shopping for the misses. To say I fell in love with the city is an immense understatement. It was probably the greatest man made place my eyes have ever seen and without Luba’s help, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy even half of what I saw. After a long day it was time for some shut eye as I would once again have a very long day tomorrow.
continued...
Well, Friday and Saturday were spent flying. Waking up at 5:00am and after getting ready and kissing the misses goodbye, it was off to the Ontario Airport and plane took off at @ 8:00. Of course, I got the great pleasure of sitting next to a woman who was coughing up her lungs on the first stint. Of course when she was offered a cough drop, she insisted she was fine and proceeded to cough and gag for the remainder of the flight.
Atlanta to Frankfurt went much better and I had some peace and quiet this time with LOTS of time to read. Arrived a little after 8:00am Saturday morning local Germany time and after retrieving my luggage and hailing a taxi it was time to go get the rental car.
I had arranged for an Audi rental (due to fact I would be visiting quattro GmbH and didn’t want to show up in a BMW :D) but it was a little late getting there. After picking up the car and getting lost (ahem… from this point on, we’ll call it “detour”) I headed off to the Nordschleife.
By the time I arrived at the Hotel Tiergarten it was already after lunch and I had been awake since 2:00pm Friday German time. Considering I’d been awake for nearly 24 hours I debated crashing on the bed to get some sleep or heading to the Ring for some laps. Easy choice. I went to the Ring :D. Headed down to the Nordschleife entrance to find it was PACKED! Seemed there was an Old Fogy convention of some sorts and all kinds of sweet antique cars were there. Of course I had to take some picks but my camera was still packed away and since the “old dudes” would still be there on Sunday (two day show) I decided to just get my ticket and start the laps.
First lap felt fantastic. “Two years”, I thought to myself. “Two years since I’ve been here, two years since I’ve enjoyed this pleasure”. I couldn’t stop the smile that formed on my face and stayed there like a stupid school boy who just walked into the candy store with his lunch money. Another lap, and another. By the fifth lap, the fatigue started to set in and it was getting close to close to 3:00 and I had yet to get any lunch. Discretion won the better part of valor and I decide for everyone’s safety, I’d get something to eat and some rest. The restaurant wasn’t open yet (Pistenklause), so I took a stroll around the area and had myself a REAL German beer :thumb:.
4:00pm came and went, and after some dinner and more beer I headed up the stairs to my room and crashed.
Sunday: Woke up about 7:30 because the Ring opened at 8:00 and I wanted a full day of Nordschleife action. Downstairs, breakfast was great and it was a short drive down the road to the Northern loop entrance. Wait a minute. The “Old Timers” were the only ones allowed on the track until 10:00am. Oh well. Got out the camera and started taking pictures as there was plenty of photo opportunities. The two hours (actually almost three because of a wreck) went by SLOW :D.
Finally got back out and was wanting to do at least 10-15 laps today (doesn’t sound like much but considering there are NO flying laps and you have to wait in line each lap to put in your ticket AND I was in a base model 2.0T A4 AUTOMATIC ((yes, the rental company knew I was American so they assumed I couldn’t drive a manual :D)) it took about 12 minutes per lap). I kept thinking how realistic the GT4 game was. It is NO substitute for the real deal, but it DOES really do an excellent job of teaching you the turns. The track was a WHOLE lot more familiar to me this time, and was certainly a great deal more enjoyable. Of course I had to stop a few times due to someone always seeming to want to crash (some bikes, some cars,) and after the third time (as it takes an hour each time) I decided to take a break and head down to Luxemburg (why not? :D). After some great country driving it was time to see if the Ring was back opened. A few more laps and then it was closing time. Back to Pistenklause for some food and beer and then back to bed for a busy next day.
Monday: Headed down to Baden-Baden for some “ice wine” and Riesling. Baden-Baden is some beautiful country and I suggest anyone going to Germany set aside some time to go check it out. The wineries are great and some of the hotels and homes in the countryside are gorgeous. After taking another one of my “detours” (this one was a really long one :D) I got back on the road to the Nordschleife. Of course, my detour didn’t leave me a whole lot of time for the Ring, as I’d be cutting it close to make it back before it closed at all. As luck would have it the traffic was great and I arrived just in time to bang out a few more laps before the track closed. Same routine of food at the Pistenklause and beer (are you starting to see a pattern here? ;) ) and off to bed.
Tuesday: Now this is the day most of the rs6.com members are interested in. This was the day I had set aside to travel down to Quattro GmbH in Neckarsulm. Ironically, it is also the ONLY day I don’t have picks to show for. I know, I know, you’re thinking, “Ben, you stupid @#$%, how could you NOT take pics of THAT day for us!?!”. Let me explain. NO cameras allowed inside the compound. And the car we took outside the factory (RS 4) was covered in white delivery tape (don’t worry, it wasn’t a customer’s car ;) ).
I arrived at quattro at 10:00am as suggested by my contact. Once inside and after the pleasantries I was immediately showed the new RS 4. Now I have to say, in person, I think it looks even better than the show pics. Of course under certain lighting that is used for the auto shows, the RS 4 looks great, but seeing it outside in the sun and in “natural” settings, the car looks just flat fantastic. The wheel arches are the most obvious visual enticements but the bumpers and side skirts really are a very close second. Sliding down into those SWEET racing buckets I could feel that childish grin forming on my face. Gripping the aluminum bottomed steering wheel only made the grin worse. The Audi rep spotted my grin with ease. “So you like?”
“Oh yes!”
“Yes, well the wheel will not be making it to the States, along with the seats”.
“Yeah, so I’ve heard. At least we get the rest right?”
“Actually Ben, you will not be getting the push button starter as well.”
“What?!?”
“Yes, sorry. Also, the mirrors are not confirmed for your market either.”
“Well that sucks!”
“Yes, well you could always move here to Germany and get the REAL stuff!” :D
I knew we were not getting the seats and figured the wheel was too cool for us US folk as well, but the starter button and mirrors were a big let down. Well, on second thought, after further inspection, the mirrors turned out to be painted plastic, so maybe it’s better we get the standard METAL S4 mirrors. Seems that despite the fact that Nord (Robin) can piss some people off, he’s DEAD on when he says this car IS dumbed down for the USA. Here is the list of have nots for the US:
NO Recaro race buckets (which feel OH MY GOODNESS, OH SO GOOD!!!!),
NO flat bottom steering wheel with intergrated lap counter (but we will have a counter in the normal steering wheel stalk with all the other trip functions and such),
NO starter button (yes, just a gimmick, but one I WANT!),
NO front parking sensors (just like the US RS 6),
NO RS 4 specific mirrors (under debate at the moment),
NO Euro lights (yep, we get the lame amber crap for our “safety”),
And it appears we’ll get that same battery in the trunk ala RS 6 (unless AOA can prove we here in the States are competent enough to use the Euro inflate-a-flat :D).
And the US price posted by Iceman seems to be SPOT ON.
Well, with all the bad news out of the way, it’s time for the good news, cause there is plenty. It was arranged for me to have a ride along with one of quattro’s test drivers (they have six). We took the car onto their test track inside the factory for several laps. Right away, I could instantly tell this car was way more at ease on a tight course than my Beast. “Wow, this thing can handle!” We did several laps and some skid pad as well and the more we drove the more I was impressed with how well quattro had done their homework. The cars grip around turns is unbelievable (for a street car) and the transitional weight transfer seemed to be a solid league above the RS 6. Then it was time to venture out onto the Autobahn and country roads for real world evaluation. On real roads (some butter smooth and some… not so smooth) the car was everything the RS 6 is, only better. The ride quality is firm but not harsh (I’d put it equal to the RS 6), and high speed stability is right there with the RS 6 (which I think is very stable at 255kph+).
We had MANY opportunities to test the revised brakes. I say revised because I was told that although the calipers are carryovers from the RS 6, the rotors are all new. We had to “throw the anchors out the window” on no fewer than 10 occasions as people seemed to not care we were traveling at over 240kph as they would pull into the fast lane at 110! (I mentioned to my test driver, maybe they were from Southern California! :D). In all the instances, not ONCE did I get the slightest sensation the brakes were struggling. I was very impressed with the revisions they had made to the brakes as I’m plenty happy with mine as they are.
The engine sound is fantastic. At low speeds, the car is very similar sounding to the RS 6. But rev it up and it has a lot of 360 Modena mixed in. Just superb. We got to go through a tunnel with the windows rolled down as the car was floored. It sounds oh so sweet, as the needle approaches the 8,000 rpm mark. I liked the noise even better than the RS 6. All in all I was able to spend an entire 2 HOURS riding around in the new RS 4, incredible that I was able to spend so much time with the new car. The test pilot who has also done extensive driving in a CSL (and honestly LOVES the CSL) commented that the RS 4 is only very slightly slower in the corners than the CSL and with the additional HP is faster around the track. When asked how fast can it do the Ring, a sly smirk was all I got and the reply, “I think you’ll be impressed with the released numbers”. Sounds promising but if my drive was any indication (which I feel it was), then I think all the HYPE Tailpipe has been giving us is actually quite justified!
Once back, I was offered a ride in a Gallardo around their test course for comparisons to the RS 4. Duh! Didn’t have to ask me twice! Now I won’t exaggerate and say the RS 4 is some kind of equal to the Gallardo, because it isn’t. But it was incredible how close the RS 4 came to maintaining similar speeds through the same turns (within a few kph). The Gallardo’s engine sound is head and shoulders above the RS 4’s though. It is one of those sounds that make the small hairs on the back of your neck stand up! I’ve heard Gallardos driving by, but they sound SO much better from the inside as you’re doing track work! :D That said, the view out of the car is horrible and it wouldn’t make a good daily driver (Robin can feel free to correct me on this one), but I must say Robin was right when he said it is the best car Audi makes. Well, technically, the best car QUATTRO makes as they helped with the finishing touches on 500 of them for Lambo (seemed Lambo had trouble meeting demands so they had quattro GmbH finish 500 for them).
Another really cool thing I learned was that quattro GmbH built the prototype Le Mans for Audi (no, not the show car that Audi built, but the RUNNING prototype that is undergoing road testing as we speak. quattro is really proud of that fact, especially considering they are so small in comparison to parent Audi. The production Le Mans will be a bigger car (longer wheel base) than the Gallardo but will retain the two seater layout.
We talked about how much they have grown in a short time. Back in 1999, there was only a total of 50 employees. Now there are about 300 and it is expected by the time the Le Mans is launched late next year, they will have 200 MORE employees.
Then I was able to have a guided tour of the Neckarsulm plant after a late lunch in the “Nuvolari” restaurant. It is just amazing what all goes into the production of an automobile. And again, of course, no cameras allowed :(.
All said and done I didn’t leave Neckarsulm until after 5:00pm. I was so appreciative that the people at quattro GmbH were able to spend so much time with me. I came away though with mixed emotions. If I was living in Europe and was going to get the RS 4 the way those in Europe will get it, it would be very tempting to trade in the RS 6 for it. But, considering all the things we in the US will NOT get, I don’t know. If I didn’t already have such a nice car I’d really have to think about it. There are a lot of those who are comparing the RS 4 to “just” a modded S4. Let me assure you. The S4 is to the RS 4, what the S6 was to the RS 6. It is NO comparison. It is the real deal. But then again, my wife can’t drive a stick and I’m VERY apprehensive about teaching her on a 400+HP Beast! And financially, keeping the RS 6 as well as springing for an RS 4 is not something I can quite afford. So at this moment I stand at holding off. For those who wonder if the car is worth the additional cost over the S4: IT IS! It is fantastic, and after all the hype I’ve been hearing from Tailpipe, I really thought I’d be let down. But I wasn’t, not even close. It is a phenomenal car, worthy of the RS badge in every way and IMHO, the BEST RS model to DATE! (side note: Avant has still not been denied OR confirmed for the US and BTW, the grey RS 4 at the auto show everyone was talking about WAS indeed Daytona Grey. It was NOT a custom color).
What a day, back to the Ring for another long day of driving tomorrow.
Wednesday: Got up extra early this morning (4:30am) to head out to Praha in the Czech Republic to meet George (gjg) from rs6.com. It’s almost 800km from the Nordschleife to Praha and I wanted to make it there before lunch time, so early it was. Traffic was fantastic except for the last little stint right before the Czech border (MAJOR construction delays), but still managed to make it there before 11:30am. Met George and his very nice RS 6 Plus and then followed him to his place of business to drop off my rental and go out for some authentic Czech food and beer. His Sales and Customer manager Luba came along as she would be helping me with my guided tour of Praha (so I could do some crystal shopping for the wife). Great food and beer and enjoyed my time with George very much.
Also found out that Anheuser Busch STOLE the name Budweiser from a Czech brewing company!!! Seems the company from Czech never bothered to patent the name and trademark in other countries so to this day Budweiser (the American stuff) is sold all over the world EXCEPT in Czech where the REAL Budweiser is copyrighted and sold! Can’t believe those @#$%. And then Anheuser Busch has the NERVE to be “proud” of the fact that they are the only “American” beer company in this country. Hmm… they should have commercials showing how they “cleverly” screwed the Czech Beer company over.
Anyway, back to the fun stuff, drove around with George (who drives just like me! :D), and he was nice enough to take the time to make sure I had a hotel to stay the night at (because I had another long drive tomorrow), before heading down to old Praha. Unfortunately, business comes first so George was not able to enjoy down town Praha with Luba and myself but I was appreciative of the time he was able to set aside out of his busy day to spend with me (also, sorry for forgetting my keys in your car! :D). Luba (a lovely lady BTW) and I spent the rest of the afternoon walking the streets of ancient Praha and shopping for the misses. To say I fell in love with the city is an immense understatement. It was probably the greatest man made place my eyes have ever seen and without Luba’s help, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy even half of what I saw. After a long day it was time for some shut eye as I would once again have a very long day tomorrow.
continued...